Swivel



5- J. 5. MORGAN, JR, El" AL 2,029,631

I SWIVELv Filed Nov. 26, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fb. 4,1936. J. S. MORGAN, JR.. ET AL 2,029,631

SWIVEL Filed NOV. 26, 1954 m m 3 n W W, v z \N w; 1 1 an P a m 3 7 0 3 1 w W Wm H w M 1 1936- ,J. S. MORGAN, JR.. El AL 2,029,631

SWIVEL Filed Nov. 26, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 III Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES EISSUED SWIVEL John S. Morgan, Jr., Inglewood, and Demery A.

Murphy, Torrance, Calii.'., assignors to The National Superior Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation oi Delaware Application November 26, 1934, Serial No. 754,806

14 Claims.

This invention relates to rotary swivels of the type employed in connection with the drilling of oil, gas, water or other wells, by the rotary process or method, and is more particularly directed to the wash pipe assembly included in such a rotary swivel.

An object of this invention is to provide a wash pipe assembly which can be inserted and removed from the assembly without requiring the disconnection of the circulating hose.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wash pipe construction wherein there is provided a removable'cap or plug member whichwill allow the entry or removal of devices through the drill stem without disassembling the wash pipe from the swivel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wash pipe assembly including a wash pipe member that is reversible end for end to thereby extend the life of the swivel construction in service to twice that heretofore possible.

Another object is to provide a wash pipe assemblywherein the wash pipe is provided with a water jacket for the circulation of a cooling liquid or water around that portion of the wash pipe that is in contact with the stuffing box carried by the rotary sleeve.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l. is a side elevation partly in vertical mid-section of the swivel embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation illustrating the modification of the wash pipe assembly mounted in position in the stuffing box and upon its stationary support.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the assembly of the wash pipe construction embodying our invention.

Figure 4 isa perspective view illustrating the construction of the upper end of the wash pipe.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the wash pipe assembly as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a top plan view similar to Figure 5 illustrating the assembly with the removable plate removed.

Figure '7 is a sectional end view taken substantia' ly on the line I-'I of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional side elevation oi. a further modified form of wash pipe assembly embodying our invention.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the swivel assembly illustrated in Figure 1 in which there are two inlets provided for the circulating fluid.

This invention is directed to an improvement upon the wash pipe construction of a. swivel and while the swivel as herein illustrated is illustrated in its detailed construction, it is to be understood that this invention is not in-any way limited in its applicability to a type of swivel as 5 herein shown. The swivel construction as herein shown is the subject matter of the co-pending application of Edward Timbs and Demery A. Murphy, Serial No. 749,374, for Swivel, filed October 22, 1934. I 10 The swivel as herein illustrated includes a body I to which a cap member 2 is removably secured by means 01' bolts 3'. A rotary sleeve 4 is rotatably supported within the body I upon main supporting bearings 5 and is supported against an upward thrust by means of the upthrust hearing 6 and is supported in its radial position by means of spaced radial bearings l and 8.

Further details of the construction of the swivel as illustrated is specifically set forth and described in the co-pending application above referred to.

The upper end of the swivel cap member 2 is provided with a detachable wash pipe and circulating hose support I00 which has a vertical opening IM and a lateral opening I02 which is in communication with the circulating hose as adapted to be coupled thereto in the coupling I 03. As indicated in Figure 9, the support may be provided with two lateral openings I02 and I02" for connection to two circulating hose.

The wash pipe assembly includes a repleaceable wash pipe I04 and a cap member H05. This assembly is preferably made in two parts consist- 7 ing of the cap member I05 and the reversible wash pipe I04 so that the entire assembly may be inserted through the vertical opening IOI of the wash pipe support I00 and because the wash pipe I04 is the element that is frequently replaced due to wear occurring within the packing 40 assembly I06 positioned within the upper part of the rotary sleeve 4. t

As illustrated in Figure 1, the cap member I 05 is provided with a curved passage which establishes communication between the lateral passage I02 and the upper end of the wash pipe I04. The wash pipe assembly is packed ofi within the opening IOI above and below the lateral opening I 02 by means of a lower packing I01 and an upper packing I08. The lower packing I0! is compressed into sealing relation with the wash pipe i04 through the medium of clamping bolts I09 which secure the assembly in position. with relation to the support M0. The upper packing I08 is independently compressed through the medium of a gland ring I 40 which compresses said packing into contact with the support bore and the cap I05 by means of a plurality of set screws III.

It will also be noted that the cap member I05 is centered relative to the support I00 so as to accurately position the wash pipe I04 in alignment with the rotary sleeve 4.

The order in which this assembly is made is to compress the packing I01 and then compress the packing I08. The packing pressure applying means I09 and III are positioned upon the upper face of the wash pipe assembly so as to render the operation of assembling the packing of the wash pipe assembly as simple as possible.

A web member is provided in the upper end of the cap I05 for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the assembly by attaching a hook under the web H3 and extracting the assembly from the swivel. In the event that the assembly should become rusted into the support, threaded holes II 4 are provided in the cap member I05 so that jack screws can be employed to eject the wash pipe assembly from the support.

The wash pipe I04 is so constructed -as to be reversible end for end, and in order to connect the wash pipe I04 to the cap I05, there is provided a plurality of holes II5 adapted to receive screws I I6 which are threaded into the cap member I05. In order to relieve the screw I I6 of any torque which is incident to the rotation of the sleeve 4 in the stufling box I06, we provide the 0 lower end of the cap member I05 with a key II'I adapted to fit within a keyway II 0 formed in the end of the wash pipe I04.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the upper half of the wash pipe I04 has no engagement with the rotating stufiing box I06 and consequently is not exposed to any wear or abrasion. Therefore, upon the lower half of the wash pipe becoming worn due to abrasion of the stufling box, the wash pipe can be turned end for end and the half which is secured to the cap will then be positioned within the rotary sleeve with the unworn surface in contact with the rotary stufling box.

. In order to permit this reversal, the lower end of the wash pipe I04, as viewed in Figure 1, is provided with a similar keyway H0 and with holes II5 for the reception of the screws IIB upon reversal of the wash pipe. This reversal of the wash pipe I04 permits very economical use of the swivel because in constructions of this type the wash pipe at its best is operating under the most adverse conditions due to the fact that the circulating fluid which is caused to pass through the swivel contains a very high percentage of very fine sand circulated under high pressure with a comparatively high rotative speed between the sleeve 4 and the wash pipe I04.

In the modified form of our invention illustrated in Figures 2 to 7, inclusive, similar parts have been indicated by-the same numerals with the addition of an exponent thereto.

In this modified form of construction, I00 indicates the support for the wash pipe assembly which may be formed integrally with the cap member and the circulating hose wash pipe cap I05 is connected to the wash pipe I04 through the medium of a cotter pin I20 which is insert- I able within a downwardly depending key member I2I which is designed to prevent the relative rotation of the cap member I05 and wash pipe I04. The cotter pin I20 fits within a transverse slot I22 formed in the upper flanged portion of the wash pipe I04.

The slot I22 is of suflicient width to permit of relative axial movement between the cap and the wash pipe in order to compensate for the difference in compression of the upper and lower packing rings I 01 and I08. The upper packing ring I08 is compressed through the medium of the bolts I00 and the lower packing ring I01 is compressed through the medium of aring I 23 which is threadedly engaged with the upper end of the wash pipe I04 and engages the underside of the support I00=. There is thus provided an independent means for compressing each of the packings I01 and I 08.

Upon the ring I23 and the bolts I09 being removed, the wash pipe assembly is removable upwardly through theopening IOI of the support I00 In order to permit the insertion of any tool or device downwardly through the drill stem without disconnecting the swivel from the drilling string, there is provided a detachable plug I24 which is positioned within a cap member. I05. A packing ring I25 is provided between the cap I05 and the plug I 24. A detachable ring or plate I26 is insertable within the upper portion of the cap I05 and is secured to the cap through the medium of a plurality of lugs I21 formed on the plate I 26 which are insertable through a complementary opening in the cap I05 and. rotated to engage the overhanging lugs I20 formed on the upper face of the cap I05.

A set screw I20 is threadedly mounted in the plate I26 and has an enlarged head I00 which engages within a T-shaped slot IOI formed in the upper end of the plug I24.

In the construction thus provided, the plug I24 can be forced downwardly or upwardly through the action of the screw I20. 'The fact that the plug can be forced upwardly is very desirable in the event the plug becomes rusted and difflcult to remove.

The upper end of the cap I05 is threaded as indicated at I02 to permit the connection of any device which may be desirable in the absence of the plug I24. A threaded ring I20 is provided with a pair of lugs I00 which can be rotated to register with a corresponding hole I04 in the support I00. With this construction it is possible to eject a wash pipe that may be rusted in the support I00 by unscrewing the ring I20 several turns and then placing a bolt in the holes I00 and I04 and drawing the ring I20 upwardly relative to the support I00. The lower part of the wash pipe I04 is provided with a water jacket I05 having inlet and outlet connections I00 and I01 respectively. In order to obtain a passage of fluid, the full length of the Jacket, there is provided a pair of partitions I00 which extend downwardly to within a short distance of the water chamber. In this manner fluid will circulatedownwardly in the wash pipe will pass under the partition I00 and hence upwardly to the outlet I01.

Under certain conditions of operation where certain geologic structures are encountered, it has been found that there is a very Intense heat developed which is dissipated partly to the circulating fluid that is provided for the cutting bit. This circulating fluid is returned to the surface and then recirculated through the pumps downwardly through the swivel. The heat of this circulating fluid has been such as to impair the efliciency of the stufling box packing I00 and therefore we prefer to provide the water jacket as heretofore described for the purpose of maintaining packing I06 at such temperature where it may operate effectively.

As illustrated in Figure 8, we have provided a detachable support I00 having a vertically extending opening I0I and a lateral opening I02. The wash pipe I04 is assembled within the upper portion of the opening llll and is attached to the support by means of bolts I09 The bolt Hi9 also function to compress the packing I08. The lower packing I01 is positioned between the lower end of the cap 15 and the' upper face of a flange portion [40 formed in the wash pipe NW. A threaded ring I23 is threadedly mounted within the lower end of the opening llil to engage the under side of the flange portion of the wash pipe I04". Rotation of the ring I23 forces the wash pipe upwardly to compress the packing Hil Having fully described our invention, it is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but our invention is of the full scope of the appended claims,

We claim:

1. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a bearing housing including upper and lower members connected together, a rotary sleeve having a fluid conducting passage being rotatably supported on bearing means within said housing, a wash pipe, said wash pipe being reversible end for end, means connected with said bearing housing to non-rotatably secure either end of said wash pipe axially of said sleeve, packing means carried by the rotary sleeve and surrounding the wash pipe to form a fluid tight rotary connection between the wash pipe and the sleeve, said packing means being positioned axially of the wash pipe within its halt length farthest removed from its secured end.

2. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, means to effect a fluid tight seal between said element and the support, means to provide a fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, and releasable means to secure said element to the support, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon release of the securing means.

3. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a' circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, axially spaced packing means between said element and said support to effect a fluid seal on opposite sides of the lateral passage, means to provide a fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, and means to secure said element to said support, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon release of the element securing means.

4. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, compressible packing means spaced axially of said element between said element and support to eifect a fluid seal on opposite sides of the lateral passage, means including pressure applying means to independently compress the respective packing means and secure the element to said support, and means to provide a, fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon retrieval of the pressure applying means.

5. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially oi the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, compressible packing means spaced axially of said element between said 'element and support to effect a fluid seal on opposite sides of the lateral passage, means including pressure applying means accessible above the upper face of said support to independently compress the respective packing x means, one of said pressure applying means cooperating to secure the element to said support, and means to provide a fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon retrieval of the pressure applying means.

6. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said between the tubular member and the sleeve, and I means to secure the element to said support, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon release of the element securing means.

7. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a. vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, removable closure means positioned in the upper end of said element, means to effect a fluid tight seal between said element and the support, means to provide a fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, and releasable means to secure said element to the support, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon release of the securing means.

8. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through said sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage in communication with a circulating hose, a fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with said sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, a removable closure means in said element providing a curved fluid passage communicating with the axial passage of the element and the lateral passage of the support, means to effect a fluid tight seal between said element and the support, means to provide a fluid tight rotary connection between the element and the sleeve, and releasable means to secure said element to the support, said element being removable upwardly through the vertically extending passage in the support upon release of the securing means.

9. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a bearing housing, a rotary sleeve having a fluid conducting passage being rotatably supported on hearing means within said housing, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, a wash pipe port to close the opening above the wash pipe;

and packing means to form a fluid tight rotary connection between the wash pipe and the sleeve.

10. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a bearing housing, a rotary sleeve having a fluid conducting passage being rotatably supported on hearing means within said housing, a circulating hose support secured to said housing, a-wash pipe non-rotatably secured relative to said support axially of the sleeve passage, said support having a vertically extending opening through which the wash pipe is insertable and a connecting lateral opening, said lateral opening having communication with a circulating hose, packing means between said wash pipe and said support, a cap member detachably secured to said support to close the opening above the wash pipe, packing means to form a fluid tight rotary connection between the wash pipe and the sleeve, and means operably connected with the support and the wash pipe for ejecting the wash pipe from the support.

11. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a. bearing housing, a rotary sleeve having a fluid conducting passage being rotatably supported within said housing, a wash pipe, means connected with said housing to non-rotatably secure said wash pipe axially of said sleeve, :2. cooling liquid circulating chamber formed in said wash pipe, packing means carried by the rotary sleeve and surrounding the circulating chamber portion oi. the wash pipe to form a fluid tight rotary connection between the wash pipe and the sleeve, and circulating connections in communication with said chamber toprovide for the admission and discharge of the cooling liquid passing through said chamber.

12. In a rotary swivel, the combination of a bearing housing member, a rotary sleeve member having a fluid conducting passage rotatably supported on bearing means within said housing member, a wash pipe, said wash pipe being reversible end for end, means connected with one of said members to rotatably secure either end of the Wash pipe axially of the member, packing means carried by the other of said members and surrounding the wash pipe to form a fluid tight rotary connection, said packing means being positioned axially of the wash pipe within its half length farthest removed from its secured end.

13. In a rotary swivel having a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by said housing, a fluid conducting passage through the sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to the housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral fluid passage, a fluid conducting element, the latter said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with the sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, the combination of a cap member carried by the support and provided With a central opening a re movable plug member carried by the cap member to close the opening, packing means positioned between the plug member and the cap member and between the cap member and the support, separate means associated with the cap member for expanding each of said packing means, one of said separate means being operable to retrieve said plug member, and means on said cap member adapted to provide a coupling connection upon the plug member being removed.

14. In a. rotary swivel having a housing, a rotary sleeve rotatably supported by the housing, a fluid conducting passage through the sleeve, a circulating hose support secured to the housing, said support having a vertically extending passage formed therethrough and a connecting lateral passage, 2. fluid conducting element, said element being positioned axially of the fluid conducting passage in the sleeve and having a passage communicating with the sleeve passage and with the lateral passage in the support, the combination of a cap member secured to the support, said cap member having a full opening aligned with the passage in the fluid conducting element, a removable plug member to close the opening, and means on the cap member to provide a coupling connection upon the plug member being removed.

DEMERY A. MURPHY. JOHN S. MORGAN, JR. 

